Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

Need some help with crafting robust social media policies?  Give us a call at (03) 2276 2500 or drop us a line at craig@orchan.asia / farrell@orchan.asia.

Happy Birthday, Farrell! Last week, we decided to plan a little surprise for Farrell by pranking him to thinking he was only going to have lunch with Craig! It was safe to say he had no idea 😉 Happy Aging!

Trash Talk in Mixed Martial Arts : Detrimental or Necessary? (Commentary by Johnathen Tan) I have been a follower of mixed martial arts (MMA) for about three years now. It might not be that long, but enough for me to fall in love with a contest where two individuals step in a cage, with the intention of choking or knocking each other out, or breaking one of the eight limbs. It has recently been labeled a sport – and rightfully so. But what happens in the cage, shall remain in the cage. Prior to the commencement of the actual fight, fighters have to attend press conferences, media scrums and interviews, and there is where the magic happens – the art of trash talk . Let me run you through on what trash talk is all about in the context of MMA. Basically, a fighter blows out insults and derogatory remarks about his opponent’s skills, with the purpose of building hype for the fight to generate audience attention. Or in more strategic circumstances, to get his opponent frazz...

“Is It Because I’m Chinese?” (Commentary by Terence Tee) I’m sure we’ve all heard that Go-Jek incident that happened recently in Singapore. Allow me to refresh your memory, just in case. A Go-Jek driver was accused by his passenger of “kidnapping” and cheating her while travelling through morning rush hour. The female passenger was trying to avoid the country’s toll system (ERP). When the passenger failed to give alternative routes that would bypass ERP to the driver, the driver then took the route suggested by a GPS. The passenger ultimately claimed the driver was trying to cheat her. She then called out for help and when she failed to open the door, she accused the driver of trying to kidnap her and holding her hostage. The entire incident was recorded by the driver’s in-car camera, and the video was posted on Facebook on 31 January, allegedly a few days after the incident. The video then went viral overnight.  Netizens were impressed at how calmly the driver t...

Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges: An Interview Between the Bold and the Bald Earlier this afternoon, three (3) Mass Communication majors from INTI International College Subang got up close and personal with Orchan’s Founding Director, Farrell Tan, who provided an insight about the whys, whats and hows of the public relations industry – how to manage a crisis, the difficulties of being in the industry, dealing with clients, and many more. As the students offered some hard-hitting questions, the industrial expert answered by sharing his experiences being in the field for over two decades. As they gear up to make the shift from being university students to PR practitioners, Farrell didn’t hesitate to give his fair share of advice to the students if they choose to pursue a career in the industry. There is a void between the educational and industrial aspects of public relations – and it needs to be filled by breaking the barriers between the experts and the learners, as th...

Quote of the Day

At the heart of every good message, is the story that you tell. But at the heart of that story has got to be the writing strategy and techniques that you use. Need help? Give us a call at (03) 2276 2500 or drop us a line at craig@orchan.asia / farrell@orchan.asia.

While silence is a valid answer, it is never the right one in times of crisis.

On the last day of Chinese New Year, Orchan wishes everyone a Happy Chap Goh Mei!  

There is a new blood sport in consumer marketing. Brand leaders watch with schadenfreude as their peers stumble when dealing with social media. In the past 2 years, many brands have all made costly errors managing social media. Your employees may have been engaged in social media as individuals for longer than you as organisation, and some of them may have established reputations and strong bases of fans or followers. They may be inclined to spread word about the great things your brand is doing, or not! If they do so without acknowledging their connection to the company, they are violating consumer trust. Beyond that, there’s a risk of employees inadvertently disclosing material information about your public company, risking legal implications. The problem goes well beyond bad PR: the question for marketing leaders is developing a process to steer any organisations around the perils of interacting with consumers on social platforms. No idea? Well, call us at: +603-...

Consumer Goodwill Cannot Save an Out-of-Touch Company  (Commentary by Jordan Low) Have you ever forgiven a company for releasing a poor or unsatisfactory product? If the answer is yes, then most likely it is because you know that said company has had a proven track record of producing quality goods/services. This is known as consumer goodwill. Consumer goodwill is gained when a business is able to instil a sense of confidence in their product among consumers, leading them to believe that the company is actively trying to provide quality goods/service for the consumer. Relatability has also been shown to be a factor affecting consumer goodwill as people are more likely to support small businesses as opposed to sprawling corporate companies. However, companies must keep in mind that consumer goodwill is not like some ATM card that they can cash out anytime they please. It can deteriorate over time, especially if a company becomes lazy in regards to creating new prod...

Since opening its business operations over six years ago, German Bistro and Restaurant Weissabrӓu has been serving amazing authentic German cuisine to its customer in the spirit of great good, with a touch of tomfoolery. With the establishment of two outlets – Weissabrӓu Pavilion and Weissabrӓu Straits Quay, the restaurant always ensures to serve only the best of German cuisine. Offering a range of hearty German dishes such as Crispy Pork Knuckle, Pork Ribs and Giant Wiener Schnitzel, served together with sides-dishes such as  Sauerkraut (Shredded Cabbage in white wine vinegar), German Potato Salad, Garlic Mashed potato or lightly pan-fried Spaetzli (homemade egg noodles) , Weissabrӓu’s dishes are impressive and tantalise the taste buds. Weissabrӓu’s menu is influenced by countries countries bordering Germany such as France, Switzerland and Belgium – this is highlighted with dishes such as Flammkuchen ( a popular Austrian pizza type of dish; it is a thin crust dough top...

Humans of Orchan Meet the Team From Left: Johnathen, Jordan, Dara, Ellie, Craig, Terence and Farrell (Taking the Picture Because he Does not Want to be Seen) Nothing brings a team together more than a generous serving of banana leaf rice and curry!

World Leaders and Social Media (Commentary by Ellie Ho)  Since the emergence of social media, people started utilising it as a platform for business and fame-seeking opportunities. Occupation categories such as Youtubers or Influencers which did not exist 30 years ago, have slowly taken over the ambition lists of many people. After looking at the dynamic interaction between people on social media and observing the unfiltered feedback they get from their target audience, world leaders are embracing the social media scene to get themselves connected to a wider audience. This can be seen as a long-term investment, as world leaders can target on the technologically savvy to increase their supporting audience by upping their media exposure to the place of widest circulation. I see this as a wise move, as I find that being on social media is a good way for world leaders to humanise themselves. In the eyes of the general population, world leaders are akin to display i...

Public Relations is not about instant gratification. It is about developing a strategy of communication and positive relations for the long-term. A PR strategy will help you organise your activities and make important decisions around the best way to communicate. Strategy is also essential in helping you to target your communications at the right audience at the right time.